Tatra trucks case: Ravi Rishi denies any illegal deal

The CBI grilling of Vectra group owner Ravi Rishi's continued in the agency headquarter on Wednesday. So far, he has maintained before investigators that there was nothing illegal in the deal.

The CBI had accused Rishi of colluding with some unknown officials of state-owned Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and defence ministry for the supply of Tatra heavy duty trucks to the army.

It is alleged that the procurement of Tatra trucks by the BEML was routed through Rishi-owned Vectra group in violation of the defence procurement guidelines. The norms specify that all purchases should be made only from the original equipment manufacturer.

"Besides Tatra, there were other manufacturers who supply such heavy duty trucks. We suspect that some BEML officials scuttled their bids. In all, the CBI is investigating around half a dozen cases wherein BEML's working is under scanner. All these cases are with the Bangalore branch of the CBI. But the Tatra case is being investigated in the agency headquarter," a source said.

Sources also said Rishi's questioning was not going to end soon. If he fails to cooperate with the investigators, the agency will arrest him and seek his custodial interrogation.